Remixing deadmau5 takes some serious courage. Not only does Joel have incredibly high standards when it comes to people messing with his music, but he's also not afraid to tell them - often in the bluntest way possible.
So you can imagine the stakes involved when it comes to tackling Strobe, which is arguably one of the most well-loved deadmau5 tracks out there (it's certainly one of my favourites). With that being said, Michael Woods certainly deserves a place on this playlist for his sheer bravery alone, never mind the fact that he did an incredibly tasteful job reworking an absolute EDM classic.
Michael gets it so right in fact, that Joel will often play Michael's versions of his tracks instead of his own, and that has to be the highest compliment that can be paid to a remixer!
Strobe is one of those tracks that makes you believe that anything is possible, and it delivers this message without the need for any words. It's ethereal, uplifting, powerful and melancholic all at the same time, and it conjures emotions that probably couldn't ever be conveyed in any other way. Think of the penultimate scene in your favourite superhero drama; the protagonist has managed to Save the World!, albeit at great cost and through huge sacrifice, and the film is coming to an end. Strobe could almost certainly be playing in the background. It conjures images of finality with just a hint of loose ends to be tied up, and in doing so it adopts subtle ominous overtones. It's as cinematic as dance music gets, and that is not a formula you wanna be fucking with.
Michael takes the original track and keeps all the fundamental pieces in place, but paints his characteristic trancey vibes over the top seamlessly. The Strobe adventure takes a new direction, whilst still ending at the same destination. In fact, I actually prefer his grittier, saturated approach to the original drop; there was an incredible amount of power lying just underneath that filter cutoff!
This week's track is a reminder to team up with other heroes, even if they usually work alone (as usual, points for guessing the reference. It's always from the same film anyway), since new and interesting results can arise from reworking classics that are commonly considered untouchable.
You can learn more about Michael Woods here:
You can learn more about deadmau5 here:
About the curator - Matt Jenko
Matt Jenko is a university postgraduate and music producer with an unhealthy obsession with Rick & Morty and all things Game of Thrones. When he’s not in the studio (a rare occurrence these days), he’s fueling his passion for music either on the net or out in the real world. He likes being out in the nature (in the least strenuous capacity though, let’s be real here) and chilling with his cat, and he’s also pretty proud of his mammoth collection of books that he’s never read.
Checkout Matt's project Ellipsis on Spotify and Facebook
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